The Future of Education Technology

This has been an in-direct mantra of the educational system of old to both teachers and students alike.

The “system” restricted creativity and ability to innovate while simultaneously “standardizing” all learners with no regard for individuality.
However, with the progress technology has made in the world and into the classroom, it seems the tables are turning.

Due to the unlimited access everyone has to information via “the cloud”, there are no such restrictions. Education is becoming an individualized process, thanks to technology.

Currently, the education world is just scratching the surface of combining technology and learning in the classroom. Great strides have been, and are being, made, but the tech-forward teacher is always thinking ahead.

The question all early-adopter/innovative educators must be thinking is:

“What is next in education technology?”

Educational technology as we know it today has changed the way information is provided and consumed. To predict the future, we must look back and learn from the past.

Innovations in teaching have had humble beginnings. From the advent of speech and codified language, teaching was mainly auditory such as in the ancient Greek academies where memory and listening were the only tools required for retention. The creation of paper in China in the 1st century meant transcriptions were made possible and information could be recorded outside of the learner’s mind. Fast forward to the 20th century and the audiovisual age which brought the inclusion of radio, projectors and computers. This meant not only had the medium of information recording changed but also the speed and, albeit limited, access.

Today, in the 2010’s the medium of education has taken the form of mobile devices. It is said that the typical smart phone today has more power than the computer that launched the first lunar mission. The phrase “the power is in your hands” has never rang more true.

So what does the next decade of education technology look like?

Access will become of primary importance. The ability to reach the information will trump any device medium. The use and access to “the cloud” will make it a universal library of sorts that is used not only for personal music and film organisation, but educational information storage and retrieval.
This means educational apps will grow to become commonplace without limitation to just smart phones that the students use outside of class. They will replace the workbooks of old.

The social aspect of learning will also be impacted by the introduction of technology. Whereas the old system restricted any changes in the educator-learner dynamic, technology in the future will encourage creativity by making learning about the prioritization of knowledge and ideas over authority.

For educators, this means more independent learning for their students as they take more control of their own development. The teachers’ role then becomes not someone to provide access to the information per se, but a facilitator and curator of the information specific to, and chosen by, the student at any given point in their individual learning trajectory.

In summary, access to information and collaboration will be on the rise in the future of education technology. The traditional roles of educators as the only route to attaining information will drastically change and this will put the onus on the learner to decide for themselves how accelerated their development is. The learner in turn will turn from a passive spectator to a pro-active participant.

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